YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Aviary Event Center and Bakery
Private equity firm Westward Alliance
LLC, the owner of Aviary Cafe and Creperie LLC, on July 16 opened a
south-side event center and bakery at 5021 S. National Ave. Jeff
Anderson, chief operating officer for operations entity Aviary Shares
LLC, said Aviary Event Center and Bakery accommodates nearly 100 and
serves Aviary dishes, including crepes, pastries and paninis. Westward
Alliance bought the 4,000-square-foot building, the former home of
Dining by Design and The Pie Box, in May for an undisclosed amount and
spent $200,000 in renovations for wood floors, new decor and kitchen
updates, Anderson said. Heather McGuigan serves as sales and catering
manager. Hours: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday; events by
appointment. Phone: (417) 351-5350. Web: AviaryCafe.com
Two Rivers Disc Golf Course
Two
Rivers Bike Park added an 18-hole disc golf course Aug. 8 on its
grounds in Highlandville. Springfield-based Disc Golf Monkey designed
and installed the course, along with volunteer help, at the 15-mile
Trailspring mountain biking complex, said Matt Blevins, controller of
Green Circle Projects, the development arm of the not-for-profit trail
system where the James and Finley rivers meet. Disc Golf Monkey
typically charges up to $12,000 for course development, and Two Rivers’
investment exceeded the averages. “It is definitely a partnership
between disc golf, mountain biking and trail running,” Blevins said. “We
wanted to bring those communities together into one area of holistic
fitness and betterment.” Disc golf, aka “frolf,” plays like traditional
golf but with Frisbee-style discs thrown hundreds of feet into chained
baskets on posts. The sport has at least doubled every 10 years since
1985, and there are now over 4,000 U.S. courses, according to the
Professional Disc Golf Association. About 25 courses operate in the
Springfield area. There is no cost to play disc golf at Two Rivers,
though Blevins said tournament play would be fee-based. Hours: daylight.
Phone: (855) 347-8669. Web: Trailspring.org
BYOPizza
After
months of renovation and rebranding efforts, the ownership team behind
BYOPizza reopened the 431 S. Jefferson Ave. restaurant on Aug. 21.
Business partners Jason Graf and Paul Freeman joined with Ryan O’Reilly
and Reed Hopper of Westward Alliance LLC to restructure the company as
BYOP Corporate LLC in January. Founder Michael Felts’ company, BYOP
Franchising LLC, holds a minority share. In the project, BYOPizza
doubled its square footage to 2,800 in Wilhoit Plaza downtown, added a
new logo – a pizza shaped like a saw – and other interior design
elements, and installed a 52-foot ventilation pipe snaking its way
around second-floor lofts. Led by General Manager Cassie Whatley, the
nearly 20-employee restaurant allows customers to pick their own
ingredients on pizzas cooked in two minutes via a specialized brick
oven. Felts opened the Springfield store in December 2013 with
intentions of opening five stores in the Springfield area. Hours: 11
a.m.–10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Thursday
through Saturday. Phone: (417) 501-8212. Web: BYOPizza.com
Send new business info to sbj@sbj.net.
A safe room and classroom addition at Willard Central Elementary School will be used by the music, arts and athletic programs for a district that had 4,536 students last year, according to Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education figures, but school officials say enrollment is projected to grow.